Notre Dame (8-2) remained red hot this weekend, going on the road and dominating the #22 Pitt Panthers by a 37-15 score that wasn't even as close as the final margin. The Irish had dominant performances in all phases of the game as they earned their eighth straight victory. When you dominate a team the way the Irish did the number of standouts will be quite high, but there are five that I felt stood above the rest.
Here are my players of the game from the Irish victory.
OFFENSE - Jeremiyah Love, RB - Malachi Fields, WR
Love Stats: 23 att, 147 yards, 6.4 YPC, 1 TD / 2 catches, 20 yards
Field Stats: 7 catches, 99 yards, 14.1 YPC, 2 TD
Runners Up: TE Eli Raridon (6 catches, 67 yards), LT Anthonie Knapp
Irish running back Jeremiyah Love showed that he's not just the best running back in the country, but in the win over Pitt he showed that he's arguably the best all-around football player in all of college football. Pitt entered the game with the third-ranked run defense in college football, and its defense ranked No. 1 in yards allowed per attempt. Love showed early on that Pitt was going to be in trouble. Love went for 25 yards on three carries on the opening drive, but his first carry of the second series was a 56-yard highlight reel touchdown run that put the Irish on the board.
Love wasn't done with highlight reel plays. While his 56-yard touchdown run - and the spin move that led to the big play - dominated the highlights it was his 22-yard run on a third-quarter 4th-and-2 play that was his best run of the night. Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis came through the hole untouched and should have brought Love down for a drive-ending tackle for loss, but instead Love made him miss behind the line, bounced it outside and outran the defense for a big play. That set up a back-breaking touchdown that made the outcome inevitable.
Love finished the game with 147 rushing yards (6.4 yards per carry), 20 receiving yards and a touchdown.
This was a special performance from Love, but I can't talk players of the game without also including wide receiver Malachi Fields. His one-handed 35-yard catch at the end of the first quarter converted a 3rd-and-15. He made another big time catch on a back shoulder throw to get in the end zone and give the Irish a 21-3 lead. Fields capped off the first third-quarter drive with a 6-yard touchdown that put the game away.
Fields was outstanding in the win, hauling in seven passes for 99 yards, and he reached the end zone twice. The one-two punch of Love and Fields was way, way too much for Pitt to handle. The scary thing is they weren't alone, as tight end Eli Raridon also caught six passes for 67 yards and left tackle Anthonie Knapp had an outstanding game as well.
DEFENSE - Tae Johnson, S - Adon Shuler, S
Johnson Stats: 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD
Shuler Stats: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 break up (returned 2-point attempt)
Runners Up: DE Boubacar Traore (2 tackles, 7 hurries), DE Josh Burnham (3 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks), CB Christian Gray (1 breakup, 0 catches allowed), S Luke Talich (3 tackles, 2 break ups), DT Jason Onye (1 tackle, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 4 pressures)
Notre Dame's defense was absolutely brilliant in this game and I feel bad only picking two defenders for player of the game, but that's how good the Irish safeties were in this game. Redshirt freshman Tae Johnson and redshirt sophomore Adon Shuler both had interceptions that they returned for scores, with Johnson getting a 49-yard pick six in the first quarter and Shuler returned his interception over 100 yards for a two-point conversion.
Johnson racked up five tackles and was all over the field in this game. He was eating up passing lanes all game, and his range was a big reason why Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel was unwilling to throw the football down the field. Johnson has seemingly gotten better each week, and he's now picked off three passes in the last three games, and this kind of game-changing breakout has seemed inevitable for a month.
Shuler was an impact defender as well. His huge hit against Cataurus Hicks to break up a 3rd-and-9 snap on the opening drive was the big play the Irish needed to stall that opening drive. It forced a 4th-and-9 that the defense was able to stuff, ending one of Pitt's best chances to win the game. Shuler also executed a perfect delay blitz to sack Heintschel, ending yet another Pitt drive. Watching Johnson escort Shuler into the end zone was fitting, as these two defenders were leaders on one of the defense's best days in several seasons.
Defensive end Josh Burnham was outstanding yet again, finishing with 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. If he would have been able to finish off a couple more pass rushes where he was unable to bring the quarterback down he might have been at the top of this list. Defensive end Boubacar Traore spent a lot of time in the Pitt backfield and made life miserable for Heintschel, and he was also key at shutting down an early shovel pass. Safety Luke Talich made back-to-back huge stops to keep Pitt out of the end zone in the third quarter, and defensive tackle Jason Onye was strong up the middle.
SPECIAL TEAMS - Jadarian Price, Returner
Stats: 2 returns, 71 yards, 35.5 YPR
Pitt made the decision to kick the ball in bounds to start the second half, which was a costly mistake. Jadarian Price - as he has done all season - made a big play on that return. Price took it back 43 yards to get the Irish the ball near midfield, which helped spark the third quarter touchdown drive that put the game away. Pitt then intercepted quarterback CJ Carr and returned it for a touchdown, but their 2-point conversion attempt was returned for a score. On the ensuing kickoff, Pitt once again decided to test Price, who this time took the ball 28 yards out to the 35-yard line. That good field position allowed the offense to go down and score and make it 37-9.
Why Pitt decided to kick the ball twice to Price is a mystery, but on both of those kicks Price showed why he is the nation's best return man.
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